


every time mary was clueless (and one time she sorta wasn't).

by of_dreamdust



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, College!AU, Human!Castiel - Freeform, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-26
Updated: 2016-05-26
Packaged: 2018-07-10 08:46:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6976171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/of_dreamdust/pseuds/of_dreamdust
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean and Cas are very much dating, and Mary (and the rest of Winchesters) are very oblivious.</p>
<p>kinda based on <a href="http://oops-i-accidentally-destiel.tumblr.com/post/130916608850/im-really-tired-of-the-everyone-knew-before-they">this post.</a></p>
            </blockquote>





	every time mary was clueless (and one time she sorta wasn't).

**Author's Note:**

> You can always find me on [tumblr.](http://onehandfulofdreamdust.tumblr.com/)

“It’s fine, mom,” Dean says over the phone, and Mary can hear him rummaging through the contents of presumably his new fridge.

“You need to stop worrying,” he says with a smile in his voice and Mary relaxes.

“I’m your mom,” she replies. “It’s my job to worry about you.”

She can almost picture him rolling his eyes at her, holding the phone with one hand while his other searches for something to put in his mouth.

“Yeah, yeah,” he mockingly agrees, and then there’s some more rustling. “I actually spent some time with that new roommate I mentioned to you.”

“Really?” Mary raises one eyebrow.

When Dean started college the year before, she wasn’t too keen on Dean living in a house instead of a dormitory, but he couldn’t get a room and there wasn’t plenty of choice. Her son assured her that it’s practically the same, if not even better, since it was cheap enough and actually had less people in it than an average dormitory.

“It means less noise and more like, personal space. Better for studying, you know,” Dean said and Mary sort of agreed.

“You’ll be living in a frat house,” Sam deadpanned. “It means more partying.” And Mary whole-heartedly agreed.

“Shut up,” Dean said, punching his arm. “It’s not a frat house.” And Mary scolded him for hitting his brother.

All things considered, there’ve all been pretty decent boys, Dean’s new roommates. And Dean has always been a social person, always surrounded with bunch of friends, always loud and teasing. Mary figured she could trust him to keep himself in check even with her miles away.

But still, Mary couldn’t help but worry. She was his mother, after all.

“He’s a sophomore, too,” Dean says now, and it takes a second for her to remember who he’s talking about.

“A bit weird,” Dean comments. “But he’s fine, I guess, just not really sociable. We had some classes together last year, and we have some now, too, so I offered to go with him.”

“Of course,” Mary agrees. “Who knows, you could make a good friend.”

“Yeah,” Dean says and then pauses. “Listen, mom, I gotta go now. Talk to you later, okay?”

“Okay, Dean. I love you.”

“Love you, too, mom.”

***

“Hey, mom?” Dean asks, scratching the back of his neck and not really looking at the camera.

“Yes, Dean?” Mary blinks and the picture on her laptop freezes, Dean’s voice now only broken string of syllables. “Dean?”

She clicks on the Skype icon several times, but nothing happens. Then the line breaks and five seconds later there’s that annoying incoming call noise again.

“Can you hear me now?” Dean asks, the look on his face now exasperated.

“Hear and see,” she says, sinking into her chair.

“Sorry,” Dean sighs. “I don’t know why, but our Wi-Fi is really slow recently.”

“It’s okay, Dean. You wanted to ask me something?”

“Oh, yeah.” Dean scratches the back of his neck again, and leans forward in his chair. “Yeah, listen. Can I bring someone over for Thanksgiving?”

Mary’s eyes widen. “Oh? Who do you want to bring?”

Dean makes a face. “Remember that new roommate I mentioned? Cas?”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. Can he come?”

“Sure,” Mary says, shrugging her shoulders. The weird new roommate who doesn’t like to hang out, yet was forced to move into a house full of very loud, very communicative college boys. Mary’s not sure why he’d prefer a very loud, very full of Winchesters house for the holiday. “Bobby and Harvelle’s are coming, too, it’ll be a bit… crowd-y.”

“That’s fine,” Dean says, waving his hand. “He’ll stay in my room.”

Mary just shrugs and doesn’t ask any more. Perhaps the poor boy doesn’t have anywhere to go for holiday – maybe he doesn’t have a family, or has one that doesn’t want him back – and Dean has always had a soft heart.

Castiel turns out to be indeed weird and quiet person, tall and dark-haired, with sad blue eyes and small smile on his lips. But he is also extremely polite, helping with plates after the dinner and patiently answering always the same questions about his majors from every member of Winchesters’ extended family. He and Sam especially seem to click, pouring over the comic books and new Marvel movies. But other times, he is mostly silent and seems to cling to Dean.

“You don’t think they’re…” John asks Mary that evening in their bed, making vague hand gestures.

“No,” Mary answers. Dean has never brought home a boy – a _boyfriend_ boy, that is – and they don’t even know each other for that long. It was more possible that Dean simply didn’t want his friend to spend this holiday alone, even though the said friend would perhaps prefer it that way.

She says that to her husband, too. “Besides,” she concludes, “Dean would tell us.”

John nods his head and sinks deeper into his pillows.

***

Christmas goes by more peacefully, with Dean coming home alone and the other parts of family deciding to unite again for the New Year’s Eve.

And it’s generally a lot quieter, too, with Sam being deeply engaged with the new game he got, and Dean weirdly sulking on his own, not even trying to tease his brother.

“Are you okay, Dean?” Mary asks him one afternoon, while she’s baking cookies and Dean just sits there, turning his phone in his hands.

“Yeah,” Dean answers, perhaps a bit too quickly. There is a long moment of silence before he speaks again. “Mom, would you mind if I didn’t go to Ellen’s this New Year?”

Mary pauses for a moment, but answers nevertheless. “Of course not, Dean. Why, did you have something in mind?”

“Yeah, umm.” He’s scratching his neck again, and Mary thinks how this time he’s embarrassed, too. “Some guys are staying back at college, and they asked me to come back too, you know.”

_One of those guys probably being Cas_ , Mary thinks, but says nothing. “Sure, honey, it’s okay. I mean, of course we’ll miss you, but if you want to celebrate with your friends, we get that, too.”

Dean still looks insecure. “You promise you’re not mad?”

“I promise, Dean.” She stands in front of him, and pushes her fingers through his hair. “You’re not a kid anymore. It’s normal that you don’t want to spend every waking moment with your old mother anymore.”

“You’re not old.” Dean smiles now and batters her hand away playfully. “I mean, if you’re old, that means I’m getting older, too, and I’m not planning to cross thirty any time soon.”

Mary smiles, too.

***

“I have some good news,” Mary says to Dean over the phone, just a week or so before the end of his semester. “Dad and I are going for a short vacation next month, so you’ll have the house for yourself.”

“Really? Oh, that’s great, mom! Are you going alone?”

“Yes,” Mary answers. “Only your dad and me. I mean, you guys can come too, if you want to, but since Sam already refused…”

Dean chuckles on the other side of the line. “Well actually, mom, I was going to say that I’m planning not to be home, too.”

“Oh?” Mary asks and tries not to sound worried.

“Yeah, um, Cas’ father’s friend, or someone, I don’t even know, it’s not like I asked. Anyway, this person has like, a private house on the seaside, and it’ll be empty next month, and he offered it to Cas’ parents, but since they’re going somewhere colder this summer, Cas has it for his own and he asked me to come, too.”

“So, you’re going to the seaside with Cas?”

Dean pauses. “Well, I’m planning to. Why?”

“No reason,” Mary hurries to say. “His parents are going somewhere colder, you say?”

“Crazy, right? I mean, why would anyone choose some mountain or something over the beach?”

“Maybe they hate the heat,” Mary replies and lets Dean trail off.

***

Castiel joins them again for Thanksgivings. The house is full again and Mary thinks how she prefers it that way. There’s something comforting about the noise and yelling, about spilled juice and crumbles of cookies all over the living room sofa.

She thinks how next year Sam will go away, too, and that big house will seem even bigger and emptier then.

Dean seems to be edgy again, walking around the house like a lion in the cage.

“I have an essay due in a week,” he explains to her when she corners him. “I haven’t started yet, I hoped I’ll write at least something while I’m here, but… Nothing.”

“You’ll make it,” she says to him and she believes it.

Dean has always been smart, he always managed to pull everything off on time. She understands the stress he must be feeling, and she cannot help but worry, but if nothing else, she believes in him.

There’s still tension in his shoulders, though, when he sneaks out of the bustling living room, carrying an empty plate as an excuse.

Mary waits for a decent number of minutes before she sneaks out, too, with intention to go check on him. However, when she comes close to the kitchen, she hears hushed voices, talking about something she can’t really hear.

She peaks around the corner and sees Dean and Cas standing in front of the counter.

Dean’s hands are squeezing the edge of the kitchen sink, and his head is bowed. But Castiel leans close to him and puts one of his hands on Dean’s shoulder. Mary can see how Dean’s back relaxes almost automatically. He nods to something Castiel’s telling him, the other boy not taking his eyes off of him.

Dean stands up straight and rubs his hand across his face before looking at Cas and smiling. He then slowly wraps his arms around Castiel, and buries his face in his shoulder.

Castiel, for his part, puts his hands gently around Dean’s neck, keeping him close.

It seems oddly intimate, and Mary suddenly feels like an intruder, like a voyeur stealing another people’s moment. She walks back to the living room quietly, pretending nothing has happened.

But, retrospectively, that is the moment Mary figures her son is in love with Castiel.

***

 After that, Mary starts noticing things. She starts noticing the way two boys act around each other; the way they fingers brush when one hands something to other, and casual touches that linger just that much longer when it isn’t necessary. Mary notices how Dean would tell a joke and then look at Cas to see his reaction. She notices how Dean’s smile grows wider when Castiel laughs.

She notices how they lean into each other when talking, and how Castiel’s eyes look for Dean when he is out of his sight.

And during one of Castiel’s visits, Mary catches them sitting together in the living room, talking in quiet voices, while Cas absentmindedly cards his fingers through Dean’s hair.

It surprises her, the way they already act like they’re in a relationship. It’s almost painful for her, seeing that amount of love in her son’s eyes and knowing he doesn’t acknowledge it. Because she’s sure that Castiel’s expression says the same, but both of the boys are unable to see it.

Still, they cling to each other.

It’s Christmas during their senior year when Dean admits that they don’t have intention of parting their ways.

“Cas is going to do a post-graduate,” he tells her when they’re sitting alone. “And I think I have a good chance to find some job there. We were talking about finding an apartment off the campus. It’d be cheaper, perhaps.”

Mary nods and quietly sips her tea. “Just the two of you?”

“Well, yeah. I mean, I don’t think Victor really wants to join us, and Benny is going to find a place with Andrea. And the rest are still in college, so.” Dean shrugs. “And Cas will have more peace. To study, you know. He always needs complete silence when studying.”

“Yes, it seems to be more practical like that,” Mary comments and watches for Dean’s reaction.

But he just nods his head. “He needs bigger windows for all his plants,” he says and smiles.

***

Castiel keeps frequenting Winchesters’ home and Mary’s heart keeps breaking over them.

Dean and he graduate together and spent the bigger part of their summer looking for a new apartment.

Dean finds a decent job and starts working in a matter of days. About the same time, Castiel finds them a small apartment not far away from both university and Dean’s working place.

Everything seems to be working out for them, but when Dean visits them alone, Mary can see that something is bothering him and she thinks she has an idea what it is.

“Are you okay, Dean?” she asks him, and he all but jumps.

“Yeah,” he answers, scratching his neck. “Yeah, I’m just… thinking, that’s all.”

“Dean,” she says gently, coming closer to wrap her hands around his arm. “Is it about Cas?”

Dean freezes. “No, I mean, I-“, he trails off, not looking up at her. “How did you know?”

Mary smiles. “Lucky guess.”

“It’s nothing bad, I promise.” Dean sighs. “I’m just… I’ve been thinking a lot recently.”

Mary’s heart beats loud in her ears, like she’s the one who’s supposed to be nervous. And maybe she should be, because she then finally decides to get involved.

“You should go for it,” she says.

Dean finally looks up at her. “You think so?”

Mary nods.

“But…” He trails off again. “But don’t you think it’s too soon?”

“Well you’ve known each other for, what? Four, five years?” She waits for him to nod and only then continues. “Your dad and I already got married by then.”

Dean rubs his hand across his face again. “Yeah,” he mutters. “You’re right.”

“Dean?” She pulls his hand gently until he looks at her. “You’re not going to lose him, you know. I’m sure you won’t.”

Dean smiles. “Thanks, mom,” he mutters and pulls her in for a hug.

***

It’s Christmas again when the whole extended family comes together again.

Sam and Jo are juniors now, and they keep exchanging stories about their new friends and classes. Bobby and John - being manly man they are - discuss cars, and Ellen helps with dinner.

And Dean and Cas seem… different. After her and Dean’s conversation several weeks ago, Dean went back just as edgy as he had been. He called her frequently enough, but he didn’t mention anything, and Mary didn’t want to push him.

She didn’t know what to think when Dean told her that Cas is coming for Christmas, _of course, mom_. But seeing them together again, she can sense the change.

Both of them are almost giddy, but this is a different, happy kind. They go around as they usually do, but Mary notices when at some point during the dinner Castiel squeezes Dean’s hand.

Dean, for his part, pushes his chair away and stands up rather clumsily, like he’s not sure what to do. He doesn’t look at anyone particular when he speaks. “Hey, guys, can I- Can I just-,”

“Hey!” Mary attempts to get everyone’s attention, too. “Come on, guys, Dean’s trying to say something!”

They do all fall quiet then, everyone focusing solely on Dean now.

He glances at Castiel, before smiling nervously. “Sorry for interrupting you, but I just wanted to say that, umm. Well, very recently, I decided to get some nerve and ask Castiel to marry me. And he said yes.” Only then Dean seems to finally breathe in, smiling back at Castiel again, his eyes sparkling with love. “He said yes,” he repeats softly, and Castiel reaches for his hand again, smile very similar to Dean’s never leaving his lips.

But when Dean turns back to look at the rest, everyone’s staring at them dumbfounded.

Dean’s smile falters. “Shouldn’t you guys at least, you know, pretend you’re happy?”

Everyone squirms in their seat, dinner now completely forgotten, and Mary speaks up to break the tension.

“Dean,” she starts softly. “It’s not that we’re not happy for you, we are. It’s just…” She makes a face. “I mean, I know you’ve been living together for a while now, but don’t you think it would still be wise to, you know, try dating first and then get married?”

By now both Dean and Cas join the party of bewildered expressions.

“W-what?” Castiel manages to press out.

Dean shifts from one leg to another. “Are you guys serious?” When no one answers, his eyebrows raise even more. “We’ve _been_ dating.”

Mary frowns. “Okay, but for how long?”

“For about 4 years now?” Dean pulls his hand over his face. “Yeah, I mean, I was worried it’s a bit too soon, but then I talked to you, mom, and you said-,”

“I said you should tell Castiel how you feel!” Mary’s eyes widen, realization finally hitting her. “But- But I thought you were going to ask him out, I didn’t think you guys are-,”

She trails of again, while the rest of the table looks between her and Dean.

Dean now looks at them all. “You seriously didn’t know?”

There’s a murmur of quiet noes and then silence again.

“I brought him home for Thanksgivings!” Dean says, like he’s trying to prove himself.

“We thought you were just bringing your new friend over,” John says, reaching for his beer.

Dean’s eyes widen. “But- We slept- He slept in my bed!”

“We gave you a sleeping bag,” Mary reasons.

“I thought you were just, you know, being parents.” Dean pushes a hand through his hair. “I spent half of the summer with him. On a beach!”

“We thought you were just,” John shrugs, “being boys. Going to parties there, chasing girls.”

“I brought him home every other holiday!” Dean says exasperatedly, turning to Bobby, Ellen and Jo. In the same time, Castiel murmurs an insecure “But… I’m gay…”

“You guys said you were roommates,” Ellen comments.

“Well, we were, but-,”

“And you weren’t acting any different, you know,” Jo jumps in. Bobby just grunts approvingly.

Dean and Cas exchange one more astonished look when Sam bursts out laughing.

“Oh my god,” he is barely able to say. “We no-homo’d your whole relationship!”

Dean opens his mouth to say something, but then Castiel bursts out laughing, too. Suddenly, everyone starts snickering and Dean can’t help but join in.

“Oh, man,” he says, finally sitting back in his chair.

“Oh, come on, Dean,” Jo says. “It could’ve been worse. We could find out via your wedding invitations.”

“But I don’t understand…” Dean blinks. “How come you didn’t get it? All this time, and you didn’t even doubt?”

“We doubted alright,” Mary jumps in. “We just didn’t think that you guys… know… about each other, you know.”

Dean sighs. “I can’t believe this family.”

Castiel squeezes his hand and leans into him slowly. “Well, we’ll have an interesting story for our wedding now, won’t we?”

Dean laughs softly again, and Castiel finally leans in to kiss his cheek. The whole table erupts into cheers and laughter.

***

The actual wedding takes place a couple of years later, when both boys have stable jobs and a bigger apartment.

Mary finds her son nervously standing in front of the mirror while his father is trying to fix his bow tie.

Mary smiles at him. “Are you nervous?”

“Yeah.” Dean lets out a nervous laugh. “Can you believe that? I have all these years to prepare, and I’m still-,” He takes a deep breath and looks down at his hands.

Mary squeezes his arm. “Everything’s fine, Dean. More importantly, everyone knows you’re getting married, you know. We didn’t dress all fancy for nothing.”

Dean laughs for real this time. “Yeah.” He squeezes his father’s arm and leans down to kiss Mary’s cheek. “You guys go take your places, we’ll be right out.”

When both he and Castiel take their places in front of the altar, Mary sees the look on her son’s face and this time, she knows she’s right.

 


End file.
